Josh had originally planned to return to the United States a month after the wedding.
But because Margaret was pregnant with their third child, that plan had to change.
Although Margaret didn't think it was a big deal, Josh, who preferred to be cautious, thought it best for her to stay at Neuschwanstein Castle for the next year to rest and give birth.
Besides, by this point Josh's businesses were running smoothly and no longer required his constant attention.
Even his work with the CIA was the same.
So, for the next few days, his days were spent taking care of a few important things and then enjoying life—riding, hunting and skiing with his two children.
Neuschwanstein Castle was located in the foothills of the Alps and offered breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife.
The two children followed their father around the mountains every day, turning into little savages.
At night, Josh socialized with his trading partners and then cuddled with his wife.
Although Margaret's pregnancy meant they couldn't do much, simply holding her while she slept was a comfort to both of them.
But this peaceful life didn't last long.
"Josh, I'm sorry. I couldn't convince Salazar to give up Macau. But honestly, Macau is too small, and with the unstable situation in the East, I have prepared a much bigger piece of land for you instead!"
In the reception hall, a small middle-aged man spoke to Josh.
Despite his short stature—only 163 cm, even shorter than Napoleon—Josh didn't underestimate him.
In fact, few people in this era would.
His name was Francisco Franco.
The dictator of Spain.
From leading a coup in 1936 to becoming Spain's ruler in 1939, Franco maintained a neutral stance in World War II while secretly aiding Hitler. After the war, he escaped punishment, remained in power despite international isolation, and ruled Spain until his death in 1975.
His life could be called legendary.
If he had been born in a stronger Spain, a hundred years earlier, he might have been another great warlord.
One of the main reasons he survived post-war isolation was that he made the right bet—allying himself with the United States even before the end of World War II.
Because of this connection, Josh, who represented American business interests in Europe, had become acquainted with him.
When Josh's ship passed through Spain on its way to Europe, they had already met once.
Franco had even attended Josh's wedding.
Josh's purpose in dealing with Franco was to use him as an intermediary to persuade the Portuguese leader to relinquish control of Macau.
In return, Josh would help Portugal benefit from his company's European investments and the upcoming Marshall Plan.
As for why Josh wanted Macau... well, as the saying goes, some things are best left unsaid. (TL/N: I don't know what the author wanted to convey here, but if anyone knows, you can comment and let me know.)
At first, Josh didn't think it would be a difficult task. Even Franco, after hearing Josh's request, thought it would be easy.
Times had changed. Macau, once one of Portugal's most important strongholds in Asia, had lost its economic importance by the late 19th century. The city was too small and too close to Hong Kong, making it nearly impossible to regain its former status as a major trading hub.
It was not until the late 19th century that Macau began to recover somewhat by turning to gambling and entertainment.
But with the unstable situation in East Asia in recent years, Macau's future looked bleak. Even the British in neighboring Hong Kong were worried about Asia's political climate—so what about Portugal?
Don't think that Britain was weak at this time.
In reality, Britain was like a wounded wolf—still very dangerous.
The war had only been over for a few years, and its military was still strong, especially its navy, which remained the second largest in the world.
This was a very different Britain from the one that would emerge decades later—industrialized, stripped of almost all of its colonies, and with a drastically reduced military.
Even Josh preferred to operate in the shadows against Britain rather than confront it directly.
Despite its strength, Britain was struggling to cope with the situation in Asia.
So what could tiny Portugal do?
Faced with this reality—and considering that Spain and Portugal, both under dictatorships, had a very close relationship—Franco saw no reason why this deal should be difficult.
Especially since Josh's offer was tempting even to him.
But what Josh and Franco didn't expect was that Portugal's usually moderate dictator, Salazar, was surprisingly stubborn when it came to colonial matters.
He rejected Franco's persuasion almost without hesitation.
This frustrated Franco, but there was nothing he could do about it.
However, he didn't want to lose Josh's generous offer.
Despite being a dictator, Franco was not a hedonist—he had always focused on Spain's economic development.
And Josh's offer, especially the economic support of the Marshall Plan, was extremely important to Spain.
But if Portugal refused, what could he do?
Just as Franco was feeling stuck, an international news article caught his attention.
So before he came to see Josh, he took a trip to the Netherlands.
"So you're talking about Java? What's the Dutch position?" Josh asked, turning to the Dutch ambassador to Austria, who had arrived with Franco.
With the ambassador standing right in front of him, it was obvious what Franco had in mind.
Just last December, while Josh was still at sea, the Netherlands had launched the "Second Police Action" in Java, using military force against the Republic of Java.
Java had been a Dutch colony since the 16th century until Japan occupied it in 1942.
As World War II neared its end and Japan was on the verge of collapse, local resistance forces declared independence and established the so-called Republic of Java.
But things weren't that simple.
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